It was the era of punk, disco, and glam rock – the 1970’s music scene was anything but boring! In the years between 1969 and 1979, bellbottoms went mainstream, men be
gan wearing high heels and major musical movements like disco took hold in unprecedented ways. The 1960s hippie culture was on its way out, and women gaining more choice and independence, both at home and in the workplace. In a decade sometimes referred to as the “Me Decade,” bigger was nearly always considered better and flashy was in.
Early in the decade, soft rock became a popular part of 1970 music, with bands like Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles and Steely Dan making their first appearances on the charts. Some of the most popular soft/pop 1970s songs included “Go Your Own Way” and “Take it Easy.”
British bands like Led Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd brought rock and heavy metal to the 1970 music scene, releasing such mega-hit 1970s songs as “Stairway to Heaven,” “Another Brick in the Wall,” and “Who Are You.” And American rock bands like Aerosmith and Kiss took the hard rock world by storm. Glam rock legends Queen introduced rock opera with their album A Night at the Opera in 1975.
The mid 1970’s music scene saw the rise of punk music acts like the Ramones and Blondie, and The Sex Pistols were building a fierce underground following. With its fast pace loud vocals, the punk movement brought us such unforgettable 1970s songs as “Lust for Life” and “Psycho Killer.”
Dominating the 1970’s music scene during the second half of the decade, disco is one of the most memorable (and possibly the shortest-lived) genres from that time period. The disco craze swept through dance clubs like wildfire, fueled by such iconic 1970s songs as “The Hustle” by Van McCoy and “Hot Stuff” by disco diva Donna Summer. By 1979, however, disco overload had caused a movement away from the genre that was almost as dramatic as its rise to popularity. By the time the 1980s arrived, groups like the Bee Gees, who’d been a big part of the late 1970 music disco culture, could barely sell records as the 80s “new wave” movement began to take over.